The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-01
THEMUCH ABUSED "BOOM"
ITS PRESENT sIGNIFICATIOA A
GROWTH PROM
A Mississippi Pilot who Used IL 20
Denote an Overlooking
River.

St. LOUIS UtOO6- DeWOCTut' n new
English dictionary of gigantic pro-
portions is in process of erection in
London under the somewhat preten-
tious supervision OF Mr.. James A.
III. Murray, who has letters enough
at the end of his name to go around
block, and who, besides having the
materials of the London Pathological
Society, of which he was at one time
president, at his command, has the
assistance, in his own words, "Of
many scholars and men of science"
Mr.. Murray urges the necessity and
importance of his work. which has
already reached its thousandth page
without completing the BIS, because
il is based ION historical principles. y
The value of the information which
is at the foundation of his definitions
of Americanism-as far, at least, as
he has gone-is shown in his attempt
to make plain, the origin, meaning
and history of the word boom"
which has been assigned
place among the most expressive and
meaningful terms of the English
language. Mr.. Murray says Of the
noun: This and its verb have
arisen recently in the United States;
it is not clear whether the verb is
from the substantive, or conversely.
The actual origin is also matter Of
conjecture; probably it consisted in
a particular application OF boom,
3d., (the booming Of cannon) and its
verb, with reference not so much to !
the sound as to Che suddenness and
rush with which it is accompanied"
Then among other definitions he
gives: "A start OF commercial ac-
tivity," and throws in chunk of
history to the effect that the Lun-
berman's Gazette, of December 10,
1879, first made use of the express
sion in the following fearfully and
wonderfully constructed sentence:
"There has not been the boom upon
lumber experienced in many other
articles of merchandise" Mr.. Muir
rays pathological acumen must have !
lad the end bitten off some time
or other, to allow him to as
cribe the origination of fresh
application of any word to writer
who knows no more about the Ian
guage with which he is dealing than
to desocratc white paper with such a
wretched sentence. The intransi-
tive verb he deifnes: ITO go off
with boom to burst into sudden
activity or briskness," and again the
Lambermda's Gazette receives credit
for adding to the expressiveness of
the language with the sentence:
Everybody says business is boom
ing" taken from its issue of October
Is, 1879. The trainsitive verb is
thus explained: ITO give a boom
to; to push, puff, force upon the
public attention, write up. Also
a5sol. To work up boom. ," The
Indianapolis Journal of April %,
1879, is quoted: "The rest are in
varying degrees positive if not all
booming for U. s. Grant" This is
apparently all that Mr.. Murray
knows about the origin and use Of
boom" II is all he has to say
about it. The fact is.that the word
in its new and now most general APP
plication was originated by the
Globe Democrat and first appeared
in its issue of July 10, 1873, almost
year before the Indianapolis Jour
MATS quotation was printed. The
editor OF the Globe Democrat heard
the pilot OF gunboat use the ex-
preston during the war, in describ-
ing the condition of the Mississippi
river, which was then OVERLOOKING
its banks. The new application Of
the term was employed in urging
Gen. Grant for third term as Presi-
dent OF the United States. This
alone should have made the word
sufficiently important historically to
lead Mr.. Murray to discover its real
origin, and permit him to award the
honor where it is rightfully due.
Every day Tor nearly year after the
date of the first conversion of the
term to its present purposes the
Globe Democrat kept boom" and
booming" in its columns. In the
beginning the words were religiously
reserved for the Grant movement,
but gradually their application spread
to other fields Of politics, and after
awhile their adoption and applica-
ton became general. Reference to
the Globe Democrat files for year,
from July Is, 1873, will disclose the
growth and expansion of the various
forms of the word. Mr.. Murray did
not know these facts or he might
have given them place in his nam
moth, meteorological dictionary. 1t
is pretty apparent, though, that Mr..
Murray's acquaintance with Ameri-
canisms is very limited, for the word
bar" also originated by the Globe
Democrat, and more prominent in
political nomenclature for the past
ten years than any other single form
of expression, is not mentioned in
the new lexicon.